Office



I (No Model.)

A. V. B. BUSH.

LETTERIBOX.

No. 357,143. Patentd Feb. 1, 1887.

FIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII INVENTOR 2 WITNESSES:

"@JLW ATTORNEYS.

UNITED STATES PATENT- OFFICE.

ABRAHAM v. B. BUSH, or BROOKLYN, NEW YORK.

LETTER BOX.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 357,143, dated February1, 1887.

Application filed September 2, 1886. Serial No. 212.540. (N0 model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, ABRAHAM V. B. Busrr, of Brooklyn, in the county ofKings'and State of New York, have invented a new and Improved MaiLBox,of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description.

My invention relates to a mail-box con? struoted to form a mainreceptacle, and provided with a shifting receiving-frame arranged todeposit the mail in the main recepsectional view taken on the line x wofFig. 2.

A represents the. casing of the mail-box, the lower part of whichconstitutes the main receptacle for mail-matter. The top of the casing Ais finished to form a rounded or semi-cylindrical dome, A, in which isplaced the shifting receiving-frame B, and this dome is formed withtheopening 0, through which the mail-matter is placed into thereceptacle B of the shifting frame B.

The frame B is composed of the end plates, 1), and the cross-plates b b,which form the receptacle B, and is pivoted in the dome A, upon thepivot-pins e e, and it is overweighted in front of the said pivot-pins,so that it will swing of its own accord to closed positionthe positionshown in Fig. 2 in which position the receptacle B is inverted fordropping any mail-matter it may contain into the main receptacle orlower part of the box or main frame A. To the front edges of the saidend plates, 1), is secured a curved plate, D, which serves as a cover toclose the opening 0 when the shifting frame B is in the position shownin full lines in Fig. 2, and this plate closes over anotherstationarycurved plate (marked E) made fast at its ends to the mainframe.

The curved plate D is provided with a knob, d, for shifting or turningthe frame B to open the box-that is, to swing the frame B and plate Dupward to the position shown in full linesin Fig. 1 and in dotted linesin Fig. 2- which brings the mouth of the receptacle B in coincidencewith the opening 0, so that mail-matter may be introduced through theopening 0 into the receptacle B. When the shifting frame B is so turnedto open the box, the lower or back piece, I), of the frame B, togetherwith the curved plate E, closes the main lower part of the box, so thatno mailmatter already in the box can be extracted.

To prevent rain and snow from entering the box, I form the curved plateD with the flanges d at its ends, and with a flange, (i at its upper andrear edge, which latter flange closes against the flange f, formed atthe front of the dome A, while the flanges d d are each covered bycurved and grooved beads or moldings h h, secured to the front curvededges of the dome, as shown clearly in Fig. 3.

\Vhile the main mail-receptacle or lower part of the frame A- may beclosed by an ordinary locked door, I prefer to fit therein a box, F,hinged to the bottom of the main frame, so that it is adapted to closewithin the main frame, as shown in full lines in Fig.

2, to receive the mail from the upper receptacle, B. The box F so hingedis adapted to be swung outward from the main frame to facilitate theemptying of the mail-matter directly from the box F into themail-collectors bag, as indicated in dotted lines in Fig. 2..

Constructed as described, the box is not only adapted to receive small,but also large mailmatter-such as papers and parcelsand when opened forthe deposit of mail the main part of the box is securely closed by theact of opening the upper part of the box, and the shifting frame B,being overweighted in front of the pivots, will automaticallycloseitself, so that there is no danger of the box ever be ing leftopen. Having thus fully described my invention, what I claim as new, anddesire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

1. The main box A, formed'with the cover grooved beads h, in combinationwith the frame B, formed with receptacle B, and pro- 10 vided with thecover D, formed with the flanges d (P, substantially as described.ABRAHAM V. B. BUSH.

\Vitnesses:

GEORGE O. RACKETT, IRA A. KIMBALL.

